R9 290 Waterblock Options

I noticed this topic getting mixed into both the 290 owners thread and the 290 unlock thread, so I thought it might be good to have a thread just to update on waterblocks available for the r9 290 series and user opinions/feedback.

Currently I believe we have the EK waterblocks available, aquacomputer and waiting on xspc to release theirs.

Anyone have any initial thoughts or experiance on any of these?

I am looking to watercool my Powercolor R9 290 which arrives tomorrow and don't really know what to go for as I am a total n00b when it comes to watercooling.

Its too bad that AMD made the die straight on the 290/290X, because had they made it angled like the 7970, most 7970 block would likely fit with little to no modification. At least that's how it looks based on the PCBs.

I highly recommend the ek brand. Mine is nickle plated. I also recommend spending extra on Fujipoly extreme thermal pads and better than MX-2 or 4 thermal paste that (I think) comes with the kit. Do it right the first time.

If you think you can handle a thermal paste like Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra, then use it for the core. Install temporary Painter's tape around the core first. There are other pastes that are non-conductive and capacitive that you can use, which are just as good and safer like Gelid GC extreme.

edit: there are 2 sizes of thermal pads that comes with the ek block - 0.5mm and 1.0mm (see manual for block). i got the 150 X 100 size pads, which are more than enough for multiple applications.Edited by rdr09 - 11/21/13 at 8:49am